Producing Electricity From A Renewable Resource. Granite State Hydropower Association

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1 Producing Electricity From A Renewable Resource Granite State Hydropower Association Two Commercial Street Boscawen, NH granitestatehydro.org

2 Highlights of Small-Scale Hydropower in NH GSHA members are an important part of NH s small business community. GSHA members own and/or operate more than 50 hydropower plants in NH, with a total capacity of more than 40 MWs. GSHA plants produce an estimated 142,000,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable power each year, which represents a savings of roughly 83,000 barrels of oil per year. Small-scale hydropower plants paid approximately $360,000 in statewide utility property taxes and over $1 million in local property taxes in These plants also pay business taxes. The leasing of state-owned dams to generate renewable power provides hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to NH s Dam Maintenance Fund, increasing the safety of all state-owned dams. Hydroelectric producers provide income to the state by paying tens of thousands of dollars in water user fees at facilities using state and federal impoundments. GSHA plants directly employ more than 50 New Hampshire residents and purchase an estimated $1 million per year in supplies and services from New Hampshire companies. About the Association The Granite State Hydropower Association (GSHA) is a voluntary, non-profit trade association for the small-scale independent hydropower industry in New Hampshire. Members of GSHA own, operate and manage more than 50 hydroelectric facilities located in 18 towns and cities throughout the state, totaling around 40 megawatts (MWs). GSHA members are part of New Hampshire s small business community, with facilities that are 5 MWs or less and typically below 1 MW. The Benefits of Small Hydropower Plants Hydropower is an emissions-free, renewable, reliable and locally distributed source of electricity. It provides important economic, environmental, and recreational benefits to New Hampshire. Small hydro plants ( 5 MW) pay millions of dollars per year in state and local property taxes, business taxes, lease-payments for state-owned dams,

3 and water-user fees for state and federal impoundments. Although small hydro facilities are not labor-intensive, GSHA plants directly employ more than 50 New Hampshire residents and purchase an estimated $1 million per year in supplies and services from companies statewide. Furthermore, GSHA plants remove more than 50 tons of trash per year from the rivers, and many provide and maintain recreational facilities including boat ramps, portage facilities and picnic areas. Longstanding History of Hydropower in NH Small hydro plants are typically located at dams near old mill buildings or town centers that were constructed in the 1800 s or early 1900 s. Many of these plants were redeveloped following the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of Virtually all GSHA facilities are regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and all work closely with state agencies and local officials on matters of public safety. Using existing dams to produce power increases public safety because the infrastructure is maintained and water-flows are regularly monitored. Challenges for Small Hydropower Plants Hydro plants are capital intensive and closely regulated. The financial and regulatory burdens are especially great for small hydro plants, which do not benefit from economies-of-scale and are currently earning low electricity prices in the New England wholesale market. In recent years, New Hampshire and other New England states have adopted Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) programs that provide financial benefits to qualified renewables. RPS not only helps develop new renewables but also helps maintain existing ones which are already sited and providing benefits. However, even with RPS programs, if market prices continue to stay low as predicted, development of new or expanded hydropower will not be economic. Of even greater concern, many existing small hydro plants may not be able to sustain their operations and will be forced to shut down. This would be a very unfortunate outcome given the many advantages to New Hampshire from continued operation of small hydro.

4 GSHA Member Projects Project Project Location kw Ammonoosuc River Dam Bath 300 Ashuelot Winchester 900 Avery Laconia 270 Briar/Penacook Upper Falls Concord 3020 Briar/Rolfe Canal Concord 4285 Campton Dam Campton 485 Chamberlain Falls Greenville 150 China Mills Dam Allenstown 1000 Cocheco Falls Dover 708 Contoocook Hydro LLC Contoocook 250 Exeter River Hydro Brentwood 33 Franklin Falls Hydro Franklin 700 Glen House Gorham 10 Goffstown Hydro Goffstown 250 Golden Pond Hydro Ashland 105 Goodrich Hydroelectric Bartlett 500 Hadley Falls Goffstown 250 Hopkinton Hopkinton 250 Hosiery Mill Hillsborough 1250 Kelleys Falls Manchester 400 Lower Great Falls, Somersworth Somersworth 1200 Lower Robertson Winchester 900 Lower Valley Hydro Lebanon 900 Lower Village Claremont 1300 Marlow Power LLC Marlow 212 Mascoma Hydro Corp. Lebanon 1500 Methuen Falls Hydro Methuen, MA 250 Minnewawa Hydro Marlborough 1100 Nashua Hydro Associates Nashua 1000 Newfound Hydro Bristol 1450 Newport Mills - Sugar River I and II Newport 350 Old Nash Dam Marlow 212 Otis Greenville 150 Otter Lane Hydro (Forsters Mill) Sutton Mills 90 Penacook Lower Falls Boscawen 4600 Pettyboro Hydro Bath 59 Pine Valley Mill Hydro Wilton 500 Rivermill-Mascoma Lebanon 200 Rollinsford Rollinsford 1500 Salmon Brook Station #3 Franklin 375 Salmon Falls Hydro Co. S. Berwick, ME 1200 Spaulding Pond Hydro Milton 300 Squam River Hydro Ashland 210 Sunapee Hydro Sunapee 650 Sunnybrook #1 Lancaster 18 Sunnybrook #2 Lancaster 50 Sweetwater Hydro Claremont 900 Tolles Energy Resource Sandwich 40 Union Village Dam Wakefield 67 Waterloom New Ipswich 150 Watson Dam Dover 250 West Hopkinton, EHC West Hopkinton 750 Weston Dam Groveton 524 Woodsville Hydro Woodsville 320 Wyandotte Hydro Rochester 80

5 Printed 1/4/13